Arizona Counselors' Perceptions of School to Work: Baseline Results. Arizona School to Work Briefing Paper #5.

Vandegrift, Judith A.; Wright, Joel

A baseline study of Arizona public school counselors ascertained the amount of time they spent individually with students and the nature of the counseling provided; it also measured their opinions and attitudes toward school-to-work (STW). Surveys were mailed to every Arizona high school and junior high/middle school, a random sample of elementary schools, and a targeted sample of charter schools; 374 usable surveys were returned by the schools' guidance counselors and analyzed. Findings were compared with previously reported results for parents, businesses, teachers, and school administrators, as appropriate. Ninety percent of the counselors were aware of STW, compared with 83 percent of school administrators, 44 percent of teachers, 28 percent of parents, and 25 percent of businesses. More than half of counselors--similar to fellow educators--felt public education was either good or excellent. More than any other constituent group, they felt a need for schools to make either major or minor changes. Ninety-five percent believed a more comprehensive approach to education was needed. Counselors--similar to all other constituent groups--were uniformly supportive of proposed changes. They also supported changes in their own roles/responsibilities. The following barriers interfered with their ability to implement STW: lack of time, lack of funding/resources, lack of teacher support, lack of employment opportunities for students, and caseloads. (YLB)